London -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Eight female badminton players were disqualified from the Olympics on Wednesday for trying to lose matches the day before , the Badminton World Federation announced after a disciplinary hearing .

The players from China , South Korea and Indonesia were accused of playing to lose so they could face easier opponents in future matches , drawing boos from spectators and warnings from match officials Tuesday night .

All four pairs of players were charged with not doing their best to win a match and abusing or demeaning the sport .

The Indonesian and South Korean pairs appealed the decision , the federation said . But the Chinese sporting authorities accepted the decision and the head badminton coach apologized for the players ' behavior .

The charges result from two lackluster contests in London that angered the watching crowds as the doubles pairs appeared to be serving into the net on purpose .

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The eight players concerned had all already qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament before the final matches of the group stage Tuesday night .

British sports fans going into the Olympic Park on Wednesday called the scandal `` shocking '' after seeing parts of the matches on television .

`` It 's not in the spirit of the thing , '' said Kevin Button of Ashford , in Kent , just outside London .

`` And it 's so disappointing for the people who came to see it , '' said his wife , Tina . `` It leaves a bit of a sour taste . ''

The disqualifications mean the world 's No. 1 pair , Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China , are out of the competition .

In the first of the Tuesday matches under scrutiny , Wang and Yu played South Korea 's Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na in a game in which `` neither side seemed to be exerting themselves , '' the official Olympic news service said .

After several serves by both pairs went into the net , the tournament referee , Torsten Berg , was called to the court , the news service reported , `` where he warned all four players amid a chorus of boos from the crowd . ''

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The South Koreans eventually won the `` repeatedly interrupted match , '' securing first place in their group , according to the news service . But that puts them in the same side of the draw as Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei , a Chinese duo who are ranked No. 2 in the world .

The second match in question took place about an hour later , pitting South Korea 's Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung against the Indonesians Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii .

Play in that contest was `` sluggish early on , '' the Olympic news service reported , and Berg was called onto the court at least twice `` with the crowd calling for the players to be sent off . ''

Former badminton player Andy Goode , who represented Team GB at the 1992 Olympics and managed the team four years later , said the disqualification was the right call for the sake of the sport .

`` It was a decision they had to make , and they had to make quickly , '' he said . `` I 've never seen any sporting event , any major event , where two players or two pairs just stood on a court and have n't tried . ''

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But Goode said the kind of tactical play seen Tuesday `` does go on , '' especially in countries where the team ethic is very important .

`` These players , I feel for them a little bit , because this was n't their decision ; their team has told them to lose these games , '' he said .

The world champion Chinese pair , Wang and Yu , `` were going for gold , and this was just part of their journey to get to that gold . ''

They probably did n't see anything wrong with what they did because they were focused on the next round and winning medals for their country , he said .

Goode said he hoped the furor would not have a negative effect on the racket sport longer term , given the swift response by its governing officials .

`` They 've come clean , they 've disqualified them straightaway , they 've done the good thing , because sports like badminton rely on being in the Olympic Games , '' he said .

`` If the image of badminton is tarnished and they are taken out of the Games , the European badminton countries will suffer , because without the funding to get into the Olympics , there is hardly a circuit to be able to make enough money to play full time . ''

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The Chinese Olympic delegation `` fully respects the Badminton World Federation 's decision to punish '' its athletes , it said in a statement .

`` The actions of Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli on the court have violated Olympic principles and the spirit of fair athletic competition . The Chinese Sports Delegation feels saddened , '' it said .

The delegation is investigating the Chinese players ' conduct , it said , `` and will make appropriate rulings based on the result . ''

The head coach of the Chinese badminton team , Li Yongbo , expressed contrition for what had happened .

`` As the head coach , I owe the fans and the Chinese an apology , '' he said , according to the state-run news agency Xinhua . `` Chinese players failed to demonstrate their fighting spirit of the national team . It 's me to blame . ''

The debacle has prompted wide debate on social media , with opinion divided on whether the players were exercising tactical nous within a poorly designed system or were guilty of failing the Olympic spirit and bringing the game into disrepute .

Sebastian Coe , the chairman of the London Olympic organizing committee , was clear where he stood on the controversy , describing the spectacle as `` depressing '' and `` unacceptable . ''

`` I mean , who wants to sit through something like that ? '' he asked .

He predicted that the badminton federation would take the apparent match-throwing `` really seriously . ''

The game of badminton dates back centuries but has been an Olympic sport only since 1992 . Competition has been dominated by China , Indonesia , South Korea and Denmark , according to the federation .

Although not widely played in the United States , badminton -- viewed as one of the fastest racket sports -- is popular in many European and Asian nations .

OfficialBadminton.com says it is played by 200 million people worldwide and is the national sport of Indonesia and Singapore .

CNN 's Jethro Mullen and Hilary Whiteman in Hong Kong , Steven Jiang in Beijing , and Florence Davey-Attlee and Laura Smith-Spark in London contributed to this report .

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NEW : The head coach of the Chinese badminton team apologizes

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Players from South Korea , China and Indonesia are expelled for not trying to win

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British sports fans call the incident `` shocking '' and not in the Olympic spirit

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The eight players would have had tactical reasons for wanting to lose